If you've ever watched the show, Finding Bigfoot--something I watch when I can't fall asleep, you've probably noticed the show tends to go in a loop. They interview folks who claim to have seen Bigfoot, they go searching the wilderness in a dark, mostly creepy forest setting, and then--of course--there's some mysterious howls exchanged across the landscape and knocking on wood, which apparently is something Bigfoot would do to attract, well...another Bigfoot. They never find Bigfoot. They never find irrefutable proof of Bigfoot, but man, do they believe he's out there.
I know Bigfoot is not real. In all the years people have
been chasing Bigfoot, there would be scientific proof, such as remains, DNA, or
heck, even pictures that weren’t blurry brown smudges! Truth is, though, I want Bigfoot to be real. I want there to
be a creature out there that's stayed miraculously hidden from humans for eons.
I want the Yeti to dwell in the snowy mountains of Nepal. I WANT TO BELIEVE!
That's where we come in. As writers, we get to step in and
bring our favorite "what-ifs" to life! We get to give them blood, and
skin, and fur, and voices. Winged goblins, evil witches and scaled dragons take
flight. Animals talk in a way we understand. Dwarves, gnomes, and fairies live
in the shadowy places of forbidden forests, and we, as writers, have the honor of making
the unreal very real.
This is how we know all dragons have a small soft spot on
their underbelly. This how we know Santa can squeeze down even the smallest of
chimneys. This is how we know house elves are bound as servants forever, unless
given clothes by their owner.
And, this is how I know I'm born to write.
I want to believe. :)
Quite an intriguing post. I want to believe in unicorns myself. What writers can create is just fascinating. Saw with you did there with that house elf reference. *Wink*
ReplyDeleteI can't possibly write about the unreal without a Potter reference! :) Thanks, Sheena!!
DeleteI want to believe too, Hilary!
ReplyDeleteCo-authored book?? :)
DeleteI am still waiting for absolute proof! I want to believe :) . Lucky for us we are writers who can make readers believe!
ReplyDeleteBooyah! Bigfoot Lives! :)
DeleteCount me in on wanting to believe in something magical.
ReplyDeleteHeck, sometimes I'll take a new episode of Game of Thrones. Bring on the dragons!
DeleteI love this post. We as writers can fill in every hole, or at least make the holes not matter.
ReplyDeleteI've heard Bigfoot enthusiasts say we've never found bones because these creatures bury their dead. Not buying it. We can do better! :)
DeleteGreat post, Hilary! I want to believe in leprechauns, myself.
ReplyDeleteYES! I love Irish folklore!
DeleteScientists are discovering new animals all the time. Usually they are in areas that have not been well explored in the past, but sometimes strange creatures turn up in a local market, being sold for food. People thought the celeocanth (going by memory here so I'm not sure of the spelling) had been extinct for 70 million years until a fisherman caught one. You never know ....
ReplyDeleteSo true! I would really like the Megalodon to have a comeback as well! Thanks, Chris!
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